So I’ve recently started leasing a horse I’ve known for good long time and leased in the past. It’s a great situation for me as my budget is tight and I’m coming off of a lot of time off and the horse is incredibly safe and reliable. His owner has the horse at a boarding barn that clearly takes excellent care of the horses and has well maintained facilities. Here’s the thing though, even though the barn looks clean it is utterly and totally infested with mice and rats. In the tack room you could easily see half a dozen mice go past if you hung around for like 15 minutes and this is in the middle of the day. They climb on everything and anything and I’ve seen multiple occasions of boarders grabbing their saddles only to find a mouse clinging to a saddle pad. As far as the rats go I haven’t seen any yet but the other boarders have told me they are around. I HATE rodents and my way of dealing with this has been to buy my own everything (boots, brushes etc) apart from the bridle, and to bring them back and forth from home. The barn facilities themselves are very open and airy and I tack up and ride in what is basically the outdoors at all times. My question is this: is it safe to be around that many rodents? I can manage my fear by bringing my stuff back and forth but is hantavirus a concern? Like I said this is a great situation for me at the moment and I’d really like to keep up with it if I can but it does concern me. Any and all advice appreciated! Thanks!
Does the barn also have barn cats? Most barns I’ve been to have mice. When you have facilities that are not quite indoor and not quite outdoor and a lot of messy eaters, you’re going to have mice. It’s just facts of life. I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick because of it.
I wouldn’t buy the rat end of the story unless I had seen them with my own eyes. People who don’t deal well with rodents tend to turn mountains into mole hills – – or rat holes? – – rather quickly. As far as mice, I’ve never boarded or ridden at any barn where I haven’t seen mice at least occasionally. Most farms are plopped right in the middle of a field mouse’s natural habitat. Plus, they’re full of food, bedding, warmth, etc. That being said, regularly noticing several mice scurrying around the feed room or tack room in plain view during the daytime wouldn’t strike me as normal.
If this is what you’ve seen, I would talk to the barn manager. Ask about barn cats. Ask about how the feed is secured. If you’re there a couple of hours a day and are truly seeing multiple mice daily, this suggests a pretty large and thriving rodent community. My gut says that something’s not locked down tightly enough. It’s not that cold outside yet; there’s a reason they want to be in that barn in the number they apparently are.
As far as the odds of your catching the Hanta virus, I would say that’s fairly unlikely. Since the early 1990s, there have only been about 700 confirmed cases in the United States. Of these, nearly all have been west of the Mississippi (not sure where you are). I’m admittedly not very precious when it comes to germs, but I think the issue here is more one of your being skeeved out by the mice rather than any real risk of illness related to them. I don’t think it merits your leaving, but that’s just me.
I remember when I was a counselor at a summer camp during college, one of the girls in our cabin (unbeknownst to us) captured and made a pet of a field mouse. We didn’t learn of her secret friend until a cabinmate sent a letter home to her father describing her friend’s new adoptive pet. Dude was about ready to call in the CDC. Administration managed to calm Dad down, and we released the mouse, whom we called Hanta, back into the deep woods.
http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html
Many of these diseases are transmitted by inhalation of dust contaminated with rodent urine. Rodents pee everywhere. I get that they are a constant where horses are concerned, but that many? That is dangerous. I actually have a friend who contracted bubonic plague, fortunately it is usually treatable with antibiotics these days, but still. Not something I would want to contract.
Thanks so much everyone! This is helpful. I want to stress that this is definitely not the average rodent situation at a barn. I’ve ridden at many barns (show and boarding with varying degrees of ‘fanciness’) and I’ve never encountered anything like this. The barn does not have barn cats because apparently a few had been lost on a nearby road and the owner understandably didn’t want any more after that. Some boarders said that they’re leaving poison out but I have a feeling that not much is being done just based on the casual way the boarders are talking about it. The reality is that I am just half leasing this horse and realistically have 0 say in what can be done here, especially as I’ve only just begun the lease. Regarding the rats, I do believe that they’re around because the bathroom (which is in it’s own separate building) is literally covered in droppings that look like rat droppings. I will not be going in there again because it’s so bad. I’m avoiding the structures (the tack room and grain room are all separate spaces) as much as possible but I still worry, since as I said, this really is a true real deal infestation. I’m in northern California.
Yes a friends fei show jumper did get sick last year from a mouse infestation and it took months to diagnose since the symptoms were lethargy and not quite right. It required months off and various meds
I’m not terribly squeamish about mice, but THAT MANY seems like a health hazard. There are always free cats around; shouldn’t be a problem to get more.
If you really must keep the horse here, I’d be keeping all of my stuff in the car and hauling it back and forth. Ick!
I would agree that it’s unlikely there are serious health concerns related directly to the mice, but I do question the general cleanliness and conditions of the barn if it attracts such an abundance of mice.
If cats are a no-go, it sounds like this barn is well suited to open its doors to some friendly garden snakes. 
I don’t mind rodents in general- quite like rats as a species although the “city kitty” variety is a different story- but the frequency you’re describing would also make me a bit squeamish. Moreover I’d question the general animal husbandry practices of a farm that had so many and was making no attempt to control the population. Any farm will attract mice but it’s prudent to take steps to either discourage them from staying or make their visit terminal before they spoil the grain.
this would be a huge NO for me.
as mentioned, disease transmission, both human and other animal; Leptospirosis, Hanta ( in certain areas of country) plague ( from fleas)
Hanta is a rare disease, but it does exist. In your area Deer Mice are the carrier.
http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/
Rodent infestations so large are a sign of lack of sanitation and caring which is chronic. Feed contamination would be suspect. Sloppy feed room unwillingness to deal with the issue… just says to me “we don’t care”. Not where I want to be and certainly not where I want my horse to be. If the farm uses a grain silo and rodents get in and die, huge contamination issue there.
Rodent urine and dander is highly allergenic. If you have allergies, and even worse asthma, you will likely suffer more . For people who work with rodents, 30% potentially become disabled from being able to work with and around animals.I would not be able to do my work if I did not have a great BSII ( biosafety) workbench and HVAC system
the damn things get into everything and chew. blankets pads leather
NO
no barn is worth this level of infestation
Does the barn feed oat hay? Mice/rats love oat hay and you will often have a larger problem at barns that feed it.
Im also in CA and we can have issues with rodents. Our barn is on a regular pest control rotation as baiting is not safe with the barn dogs. We’ve had cats at times but they don’t last long due to other, higher level predators. Having the pat control professionals set traps, etc does help a lot but at certain times of the year, the frequency needs to increase from the standard once a month.
I wouldn’t worry too much. Just keep all your stuff at home or in the car. Wash your hands before you leave. It sounds like an open barn so lots of ventilation. I wouldn’t volunteer to do any cleaning up i were you. If someone starts sweeping, get the heck out of there. As long as you are not breathing in airborne urine particles, you should be OK.
It’s very unusual to have rats and mice in the same place, isn’t it?
I personally wouldn’t worry too much, though I’d see if they could get some barn cats to clear that problem up.
Your risk of certain diseases is based on where you’re located in the country. Hanta virus would be pretty low on my list of concerns unless there have been confirmed cases in your area recently.
I like rodents but it’s a definite health hazard to be in contact with that many wild ones. Rodent control is right up there with antibiotics and plumbing/sanitation.
Maybe you can get to the barn owner about how many cats are on death row in local shelters. A chance vs traffic is better than being put to sleep when the shelter runs out of space, and the semi-feral adult cats who make the best barn cats are also least likely to be adopted and are usually pts first. If you are really lucky, you have a shelter nearby that offers a working cat program - https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/07/15/health/cats-chicago-rat-patrol/index.html?client=ms-android-google.
If you have mice, you don’t have rats. If you have rats, you don’t have mice.
Why? Rats are quite territorial and will kill mice. So the two animals co-exisiting would be an incredibly rare occurrence. It just doesn’t happen. Unless the mice are being fed super well and are getting to mungo size; then they could resemble rats.
I’ve never been to a barn that doesn’t have at least one cat, and despite the, er, traffic issue, it might be worth it to keep trying cats until you find one that’s smart enough to stay out of the road.
Or just get a glaring of them!
[QUOTE=HWS;8864032]
Thanks so much everyone! This is helpful. I want to stress that this is definitely not the average rodent situation at a barn. I’ve ridden at many barns (show and boarding with varying degrees of ‘fanciness’) and I’ve never encountered anything like this. The barn does not have barn cats because apparently a few had been lost on a nearby road and the owner understandably didn’t want any more after that. Some boarders said that they’re leaving poison out but I have a feeling that not much is being done just based on the casual way the boarders are talking about it. The reality is that I am just half leasing this horse and realistically have 0 say in what can be done here, especially as I’ve only just begun the lease. Regarding the rats, I do believe that they’re around because the bathroom (which is in it’s own separate building) is literally covered in droppings that look like rat droppings. I will not be going in there again because it’s so bad. I’m avoiding the structures (the tack room and grain room are all separate spaces) as much as possible but I still worry, since as I said, this really is a true real deal infestation. I’m in northern California.[/QUOTE]
Keep in mind, bat droppings can look like mice/rat droppings. I’m in NorCal too and always thought the droppings in the bathroom were mice until I learned it was really bats! Especially for enclosed dark rooms.
Theres a woman who owns a cat rescue in NorCal (also a horse person) who specifically adopt out cats for “rodent control”. Cats that are semi feral (not suitable for indoors) make great barn cats! I think she has protocol on how to introduce cat to new environment (so they don’t run away).
[QUOTE=Obiwan;8869087]
If you have mice, you don’t have rats. If you have rats, you don’t have mice.
Why? Rats are quite territorial and will kill mice. So the two animals co-exisiting would be an incredibly rare occurrence. It just doesn’t happen. Unless the mice are being fed super well and are getting to mungo size; then they could resemble rats.
I’ve never been to a barn that doesn’t have at least one cat, and despite the, er, traffic issue, it might be worth it to keep trying cats until you find one that’s smart enough to stay out of the road.
Or just get a glaring of them![/QUOTE]
This is not true… We own a 20 acre avocado farm and we have rats, mice, snakes, scorpions, coyotes, hawks, owls, turkey vultures, rabbits and skunks…
The mice and rats are a problem and we do what we can to trap them. We appreciate the snakes, owls, turkey vultures and hawks but it’s still an issue. These are teeny tiny little mice that can get into the smallest of spaces AND we have big huge rats too…
We have the house sealed good and keep garbage in a 3 cubic yrd metal trash bin that is hauled off twice a week… We pick up any dropped fruit and haul it off.
At my barn where my horses are boarded we have mice too… they have a big barn cat and several dogs that do hunt mice… I have put steel wool in openings that are near my horses stalls and in the tack room to keep them out.
It would be good if you could talk to your barn to see if you could at least seal the tack room up so tack etc wont get damaged and keep the hazard down.
Until then I too would keep my things at home and bring them daily.
When I first bought my place I had a rat problem. There was a little pig barn on the property where the previous owner left feed and straw behind. I bought a huge amount of Warfarin and threw it all over the barn. Closed that barn up so the cats couldn’t get in. The rats all died off and disappeared.
There are six cats in my horse barn and I haven’t seen a live mouse or rat in years. Took care of the racoons who were living in the upper level of the hay mow by distributing lots of moth balls. Apparently moth balls also keep mice away. I read somewhere that people put moth balls in their boats during winter storage to keep the critters from moving in.
BTW all my feed is stored in metal garbage cans inside an enclosed wooden box.
No mouse or rat problem here.
[QUOTE=Obiwan;8869087]
If you have mice, you don’t have rats. If you have rats, you don’t have mice.[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard this, but they can live in fairly close proximity. A week or two ago I found both a dead rat and the hindquarters of a mouse in my basement, thanks to my in/out cat. So in the OP’s case, maybe different parts of the facility?
